Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday
• describe some possible disadvantages
• say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Janki ,

I am writing this letter to let you give some advice which you want to know about my camping experience.

As you know i went summer camping last summer with my collegues so i want to share my experience to give rough idea about it. I heard that you and your cousin will go but once you started the camping, you met so many people and experienced different things and different culture . This is the very interesting part of the journey to meet strangers and end of the trip some of them become very close to your heart. Furthermore, you find the inner peace in the nature and feel the breathtaking experience. There are certain draw backs also from which you need to aware no need to afraid of this. So, you need to know that each and every person is not trustable and honest . So, aware of this thing that no one can mislead you in wrong way.

So, let me know on which date you would think to go on the campaign. So, according to this i will plan my further schedule.

Waiting for your reply and excited about the trip.

Yours truly,

Mahek

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the benefits of camping, the disadvantages, and the invitation to join. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. The explanation of benefits is a bit repetitive, focusing on meeting people and nature, while the disadvantages are vague and slightly confusing, particularly the warning about people not being 'trustable'. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, concrete examples of camping experiences, such as the joy of cooking outdoors or the challenge of setting up a tent, rather than general statements. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, but the content could be more detailed to fully satisfy the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition 'Furthermore, you find the inner peace' is a bit abrupt. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'So' to start sentences. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'aware of this thing that no one can mislead you', which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, but it is somewhat basic and occasionally imprecise. Phrases like 'give rough idea' and 'breathtaking experience' are used, but there are errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'not trustable' (untrustworthy) and 'mislead you in wrong way' (redundant). There are also some minor errors in word formation, such as 'campaign' instead of 'camping trip'. To improve, try to use more natural collocations and avoid repeating simple words. Expanding your vocabulary to include more descriptive adjectives and precise nouns related to outdoor activities would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('you met so many people' instead of 'you will meet'), missing articles ('in the nature' should be 'in nature'), and awkward phrasing ('let me know on which date you would think to go'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces placed before commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like article usage and verb tense consistency will be beneficial.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.